The heavens roared. The aftermath of the terrifying battle turned the outer void battlefield into a raging sea—countless spatial rifts crisscrossing, as though tearing everything apart.

  The Heavenly Spirit Ancient Emperor had left.

  He left in haste, expression urgent, carrying a trace of panic.

  Leaving only Lu bewildered.

  The battlefield fell deathly silent.

  Only the dust of shattered stones remained—scattered by the energy storm, producing faint sounds.

  Lu floated in the void, expression calm.

  On the Heaven-Stealing Tower, the crimson blood was strikingly vivid—blood of the Heavenly Spirit Ancient Emperor.

  Under Lu’s gaze, the blood staining the tower was slowly absorbed—transformed into pure energy.

  This was Emperor-realm energy.

  Pure chaos power—then converted by the Heaven-Stealing Tower into Dao essence.

  Though not much—it was still something.

  The energy within an Ancient Emperor’s body was, in essence, a manifestation of Dao essence. Lu’s brows raised slightly.

  Emperor realm transcended the Heavenly Dao’s restraints.

  Yet the energy was still a transformation of Dao essence. In truth—Emperor realm had not fully escaped the Heavenly Dao.

  It had merely surfaced—gaining the qualification to stand equal and gaze directly at the Dao.

  Putting away the Heaven-Stealing Tower, Lu’s aura rose and fell.

  Silver blades stacked—soon reforming into the thousand-blade chair.

  Lu slowly sat. His black robes returned to white.

  Qi Refining Layer Ten indeed possessed Emperor-realm combat power—but he had only just entered this realm… facing a true Ancient Emperor was still somewhat taxing.

  After all, those Ancient Emperors were old monsters who had lived millions of years—their mastery of power had reached perfection.

  The Heavenly Spirit Ancient Emperor had left—so be it.

  Lu paid it no mind.

  With a thought—his divine sense returned from the outer void battlefield to the void starry sky.

  The moment Lu returned—figures on countless life-bearing stars—whether seated or standing—all turned their gazes toward him.

  Their breathing quickened.

  Seeing Lu emerge alive from the outer void battlefield—the heavens and earth fell utterly silent.

  After a long moment—the many powerhouses’ expressions turned to excitement.

  “My heavens! He’s out—Lu Ping’an came out alive from the outer void battlefield!”

  “He didn’t die! Young Master Lu actually survived! He survived against an Ancient Emperor!”

  “Where did the Ancient Emperor go? Impossible… how could Lu Ping’an defeat an Ancient Emperor?!”

  Everyone was incredulous—yet after the disbelief came wild joy.

  Especially the holy clan Saints on the ancient warship.

  They stared in utter shock.

  They had thought Lu was doomed—yet he had survived the Heavenly Spirit Ancient Emperor!

  And the Ancient Emperor’s aura had vanished from Void Heaven—seemingly returned to the first heaven.

  This meant—the crushing pressure and threat brought by an overwhelmingly powerful Ancient Emperor… had been weathered!

  On the Five Phoenix Continent,

  Lü Mu Dui and Mo Tianyu—the two Half-Step Xuan Immortals—walked out from Heavenly Mechanism Peak, hovering beyond the Five Phoenixes.

  In truth—not just them—many Five Phoenix Xuan Immortals and True Immortals were waiting.

  After all—Lu had been in battle. They were deeply worried.

  This battle concerned the future of the Five Phoenixes.

  Seeing Lu return alive—emerge alive from the outer void battlefield—

  Lü Mu Dui stroked his beard—and burst into laughter.

  “Congratulations, Young Master Lu—victory over an Ancient Emperor!”

  Lü Mu Dui struck his bamboo staff against the starry sky—ringing with metallic clangs. His voice rolled like ocean waves.

  The words spread instantly—echoing through all of Void Heaven, across the entire Five Phoenix Continent.

  Everyone looked up. Hearing Lü Mu Dui’s words—they were stunned—then erupted in cheers.

  In the starry sky—on countless life-bearing stars—

  Immortals bowed with beaming smiles—offering congratulations.

  The sound of celebration echoed in every corner of the void starry sky.

  Lu sat in his thousand-blade chair. Hearing the cheers of all Void Heaven—he paused briefly—then smiled lightly.

  He was naturally low-key—unconcerned with such things.

  Then—he raised a hand. The Heaven-Stealing Tower—stained with the Heavenly Spirit Ancient Emperor’s blood—was placed conspicuously on the wheelchair armrest.

  It wasn’t that he was not low-key—but everyone needed this inspiration to boost morale and strengthen the unity of the void starry sky.

  He had indeed fought an Ancient Emperor—and ended in a draw.

  Though the Heavenly Spirit Ancient Emperor left a threatening warning—Lu did not care.

  Many had threatened him. One more Heavenly Spirit Ancient Emperor made no difference.

  The cheers resounded in every corner of Void Heaven—like a grand celebration.

  The Five Phoenix Continent itself was relatively calm. Apart from True Immortals and Xuan Immortals—others remained immersed in accelerated cultivation within the time array.

  As for the beings on the other life-bearing stars—they went mad.

  Cheers surged like tidal waves—one after another.

  Meanwhile—the holy clan powerhouses on the ancient warship felt awkward.

  Hearing the surrounding cheers—they dared not join—yet felt out of place if they did not.

  Finally—the upper-realm holy clan Saints also began clapping rhythmically—following the other stars’ powerhouses in celebration.

  “Young Master Lu is invincible!”

  “Congratulations to Young Master Lu!”

  The holy clan Saints had no choice. Under someone else’s roof—one must bow.

  Though it felt extremely awkward—even humiliating—

  In the face of survival—face meant nothing.

  They still hoped to find a sliver of survival in the Five Phoenixes—so they could only join the celebration.

  Several Saints flew across the void—rushing toward Lu.

  Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

  Having heard of Young Master Lu’s elusive nature—they had to seize this moment while Lu was present—explain everything—and request his protection.

  The nine heavens offered them no refuge. They could only pin their hopes on the Five Phoenixes.

  Whoosh! Whoosh!

  Lu had originally planned to return to the Five Phoenixes.

  But he was intercepted by two upper-realm holy clan Saints.

  These were two of the Saints who had once attacked the Five Phoenixes. Though their imperial weapons had fallen into the Five Phoenixes—

  Lu would not easily forget their actions.

  The two Saints arrived before Lu—expressing their plea. They knelt in the void—begging forgiveness—hoping to receive shelter in the Five Phoenixes.

  At first—Lu was somewhat surprised.

  He had nearly waved his hand—to annihilate the warship outright.

  Because Lu had thought the warship and the Heavenly Spirit Ancient Emperor were allies.

  Sent by the Heavenly Spirit Ancient Emperor to attack Void Heaven.

  “Young Master Lu—for the sake of the imperial weapons we once provided… please grant us holy clan Saints a path to survival in Void Heaven.”

  One Saint knelt in the void—tears streaming.

  His words were pitiful.

  For the continuation of their holy clans—these leaders could only humble themselves—kneel before enemies they once disdained.

  “The Heavenly Spirit Clan seeks to unify the nine heavens?”

  “You fled here.”

  Lu looked at the representative Saint before him—who had explained everything.

  This was a Saint Ancestor from one of the remaining five holy clans—his expression extremely complicated.

  How the tables had turned. Once—they had thought little of the Five Phoenixes—of Lu Ping’an.

  They had even tried to force Lu to submit.

  Yet now—in such a short time—they could only bow and scrape before Lu.

  As a Saint Ancestor—he still carried pride in his heart.

  But—for his holy clan to survive—he had no choice.

  He could only humble himself.

  He could only bow his head.

  Yet what eased his heart slightly—was that Lu had survived an Ancient Emperor.

  This meant Lu very likely possessed Emperor-realm combat power.

  Lu’s strength had earned their recognition.

  This kneel felt slightly less bitter.

  “Young Master Lu—we have no path left. We gambled everything—built a warship capable of crossing the void abyss—and came to Void Heaven. We beg Young Master Lu… to grant us a place to live.”

  The Saint Ancestor said.

  With that—he prostrated fully.

  Lu sat in his thousand-blade chair—brows slightly raised.

  He pondered. He had truly not expected these holy clans to seek refuge.

  After all—each holy clan represented an Ancient Emperor.

  If Lu accepted them now—and those Ancient Emperors returned to reclaim their clans—what then?

  “Want a place to live? Naturally possible. After all—I, Lu Ping’an, am not bloodthirsty.”

  “But—you must swear to the Five Phoenix Heavenly Dao: from now on—cut all ties with your respective Ancient Emperors. Become living beings of Void Heaven.”

  Lu said.

  The several Saint Ancestors exchanged glances—eyes flickering.

  At first—they hesitated.

  Because their true intention was—as Lu had said—to seek refuge with their Ancient Emperors upon their return.

  Yet Lu’s words sealed their retreat.

  “We swear. We will lead our clans in swearing.”

  In the end—these Saints made their choice.

  Their primary concern was survival—continuing their clans.

  Thus—they began swearing.

  As the oaths were made—

  Boom!

  The Five Phoenix Heavenly Dao star appeared—descending Heavenly Dao rule chains—wrapping around each Saint Ancestor.

  Shackles bound their hands and feet.

  Even their clansmen bore shackles—like exiled prisoners.

  “There are many stars in the starry sky. Find unclaimed life-bearing stars and take root.”

  “As for the future—whether you can integrate into the Five Phoenixes—depends on your own development.”

  Lu said.

  With that—he waved dismissively.

  The several Saint Ancestors breathed sighs of relief—faces lighting with joy.

  They had survived!

  They had gambled everything—and won!

  So… Lu Ping’an’s pettiness was not as legendary as rumored!

  Under the many Saints’ endless gratitude—

  Lu returned to the Five Phoenixes.

  The terrifying clash of auras in the void starry sky came to an end.

  The Ancient Emperor’s first appearance—thus concluded—without destroying the Five Phoenixes or bringing apocalyptic crisis.

  As for the danger within—no one else knew.

  The details of Lu’s battle with the Heavenly Spirit Ancient Emperor—remained known only to Lu and the Emperor.

  …

  First heaven.

  Heavenly Spirit Clan ancestral land.

  Terrifying aura permeated. The coffin trembled—order rule chains quaking. If not for the nine heavens’ Heavenly Dao will manifesting these chains—

  The terrifying existence within the coffin would have long broken free.

  Slaughtering the entire Heavenly Spirit Clan.

  Without the Heavenly Spirit Ancient Emperor—even with a Quasi-Emperor guarding—the Heavenly Spirit Clan could not resist this monstrous being.

  The Quasi-Emperor was on the verge of death—his divine soul damaged. If not for his deep foundation—he would have perished already.

  His gaze carried sorrow.

  He thought the Heavenly Spirit Clan was finished.

  Suddenly!

  It was as though countless shadows formed a procession—arriving like lightning in the first heaven.

  “Hmph!”

  The Heavenly Spirit Ancient Emperor stepped forward—terrifying aura erupting.

  A cold snort from his nose.

  The struggling coffin paused.

  Then—the existence within the coffin seemed to struggle even more violently.

  Crack! Crack!

  Order chains snapped.

  The coffin lid was nearly pried open!

  A blurry figure tried to rush out.

  Light flashed.

  The Heavenly Spirit Ancient Emperor appeared before the coffin like teleportation.

  A fist smashed down.

  Boom!

  The figure pushing open the lid was hammered back into the coffin by the Heavenly Spirit Ancient Emperor.

  After being violently subdued—the being within the coffin ceased struggling.

  Perhaps it sensed the Heavenly Spirit Ancient Emperor’s return—realizing struggle was hopeless.

  “Emperor… what exactly… is inside?”

  The Quasi-Emperor staggered forward—eyes filled with dread.

  This uncontrollable existence filled him with fear. The unknown was always most terrifying.

  The Heavenly Spirit Ancient Emperor rubbed his brow. On his way back—he had already adjusted his appearance. The blood could not continue flowing—he was an Ancient Emperor and needed to maintain dignity.

  Being smashed on the head by Lu’s Heaven-Stealing Tower—divine soul shaken—left the Heavenly Spirit Ancient Emperor extremely uncomfortable.

  And the coffin’s antics made him even more so.

  “A powerful innate divine demon from the Primordial Starry Sky.”

  The Heavenly Spirit Ancient Emperor said calmly.

  The Quasi-Emperor looked bewildered.

  Primordial Starry Sky?

  Innate divine demon?

  What was that?

  The Heavenly Spirit Ancient Emperor glanced at the Quasi-Emperor and exhaled slowly. In this world—few knew what he spoke of.

  Waving his hand—he dismissed the Quasi-Emperor.

  The Heavenly Spirit Ancient Emperor then dragged the coffin—quickly vanishing into the Heavenly Spirit Clan’s ancestral land.

  Before entering—he turned back—looking toward the Five Phoenixes.

  This matter… was not over.

  After dealing with the existence in the coffin—he would slowly settle accounts with the Five Phoenixes—with Lu Ping’an.

  He, the Heavenly Spirit Ancient Emperor—hated betrayal most.

  Micah must be brought back to face punishment.

  …

  Five Phoenix Continent.

  Vast sea.

  Origin Lake, Origin Island.

  After returning—Lu sat quietly in his thousand-blade chair.

  Ning Zhao poured him Heavenly Immortal Wine—and silently withdrew from the pavilion.

  Lu pondered the shortcomings of this battle.

  With a thought—

  The system prompt appeared before him.

  “A ten-thousand-zhang tower starts from the ground. Congratulations, Host—advancement complete. Successfully entered Qi Refining Layer Ten—advancing further on the path of an outstanding Qi Refiner.”

  “Reward obtained: Dao Source ×3, Immortal Demon Body (Golden Element Origin), Material: Flame Thunder Stone.”

  After reading the system prompt—Lu’s brows raised slightly.

  As the system progressed—the rewards seemed increasingly simple and ordinary.

  Dao Source was not unexpected.

  The other reward was Immortal Demon Body.

  Since reaching Minor Completion in Immortal Demon Body—and comprehending custom divine abilities—Lu had thought it had reached its limit.

  Now—it seemed… he had been too naive.

  Immortal Demon Body had further stages.

  “Immortal Demon Body (Golden Element Origin)—could it be one of the five elements—gold?”

  Lu rubbed his chin—only guessing.

  With a thought—he chose fusion.

  But as Lu prepared to fuse—

  The system prompt appeared again.

  “Host—confirm fusion?”

  Lu paused.

  This was the first time the system had asked for confirmation before fusion.

  Was there something different about this fusion?

  “Confirm.”

  Lu thought for a moment—then chose fusion.

  Buzz…

  The next moment—

  A golden light bloomed at Lu’s brow.

  Boom!

  Lu felt as though his head exploded—his body on the verge of bursting.

  Terrifying pain instantly engulfed him.

  Lu gritted his teeth—blood filling his eyes.

  In the last moment before losing consciousness—he activated spatial mysteries.

  Leaving Origin Lake.

  He fled deep into the vast sea.

  Sinking beneath the ocean floor.

  Boom! Boom! Boom!

  The excruciating pain seemed to tear Lu apart. Even underwater—he let out muffled groans.

  It hurt!

  The agony of flesh tearing felt as though every cell in his body was being rearranged.

  Due to the pain—Lu could only pound the seabed to vent—causing the ocean floor to sink continuously.

  The vast sea exploded.

  Raising monstrous waves.

  In this moment—all living beings between heaven and earth felt their hearts tremble—as though the world itself raged.

  Countless ocean creatures trembled in fear.

  This process lasted a full month.

  Only then did it gradually calm.

  Deep in the vast sea—

  Lu sat cross-legged. Black demonic qi roiled around him.

  Suddenly—in the depths—Lu opened his eyes. A golden gleam flashed within.

  The next moment—Lu’s body transformed. The black demonic qi turned dazzling gold. Though his skin remained pale—his hair gleamed golden—flowing freely.

  This was the Immortal Demon Body in its Golden Element state.

  Sharp—filled with offensive power—brimming with destruction and annihilation.

  Exhaling slowly—all spiritual energy withdrew. Golden hair returned to black. Golden robes reverted to white.

  “In this state—combat power increases by at least tenfold.”

  “Facing the Heavenly Spirit Ancient Emperor again—perhaps a true fight is possible.”

  Lu thought.

  Turning his head—

  He saw droplets of blood floating in the seabed—left behind during the transformation.

  Lu was about to retrieve them—but thought better of it. Glancing at the pitch-black ocean floor—he smiled.

  Giving up on retrieval—his divine sense moved. He vanished—returning to Origin Island.

  After Lu left—

  This region gradually… swarmed with countless marine creatures!

  Sea turtles, giant sharks, massive octopuses…

  All manner of ocean life surged here—for Lu’s blood.

  To these creatures—

  This blood was “divine blood”—the foundation of their transformation!

  Slaughter erupted on the seabed.

  Blood dyed the calm waters turbid.

  Yet Lu’s blood floated peacefully—untouched by any filth.

  In the end…

  The blood was completely taken.

  The marine creatures that obtained it transformed—gaining human form. Their cultivation soared—leaping directly to True Immortal realm!

  These transformed beings knelt on the seabed.

  Utterly devout.

  “We thank the Sea God for creating the Sea God Clan—granting us rebirth!”

  These beings possessed innate divine abilities to control marine life—even summon tsunamis and destroy the world.

  Back on Origin Island—

  Lu was astonished.

  He had not expected his leftover blood to accidentally create a new race.

  Sea God Clan?

  Lu smiled.

  Humans, demons, witches—now joined by the Sea God Clan.

  The Five Phoenixes seemed to grow ever livelier.

  After completing his transformation—Lu’s aura became even more solid.

  Thinking of something—

  He took out the final reward: Flame Thunder Stone.

  Boom!

  A fist-sized azure stone appeared in Lu’s hand.

  “[Flame Thunder Stone]: Innate Spirit Treasure material. Can be used to refine innate spirit treasures controlling multi-layered heavenly lightning—the best material for creating rule-based tribulations.”

  Reading the system description—

  Lu narrowed his eyes.

  He gradually recalled—

  The current Five Phoenix Continent…

  Seemed to lack a complete heavenly tribulation system.